Gondola Not Included

Without breaking the budget for Valentine’s Day, two can enjoy an intimate taste of that most romantic of cities, Venice, at home. Tramezzini, a Lower East Side spot specializing in the kinds of sandwiches that Venetians enjoy with their aperitivos, tucks them in a new party box for two ($58 plus delivery). It consists of…

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Now’s the Time for Homemade Dumplings

If there’s one occasion to prepare dumplings from scratch, wrappers and all, it’s the Lunar New Year. Everyday dumplings take on special significance for the holiday: Eating the savory pleated pouches, which symbolize wealth, means good fortune for the year ahead, and slurping dessert dumplings is supposed to assure family unity. But the more immediate…

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Your New Favorite Soup

Good morning. Melissa Clark has a terrific new recipe in The Times this week, for a creamy potato-Cheddar soup with quick-pickled jalapeños (above). The acidic zing of the pickled peppers is a surprise and a delight against the velvet sheen of potato and cheese, and I think if you make it tonight you may well…

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